FEATURE: WHO ARE YA? – BEANS
Boots N Cats, the latest album from Melbourne’s Beans, released this March, captured the attention of our writers with its organ-driven garage-rock wig-outs, breezy psych-pop and groovy funk instrumentals. We needed to know more and via the wonders of the internet, here is our essential guide to the band: Who are you? Vincent Clementson, Bass Player in Beans from Geelong Victoria. Who’s in the band and what do they play? Matt Blach – Lead Vocal and Guitar Jack Kong... Read More
LIVE REVIEW – YARD ACT: MANCHESTER APOLLO 16/03/24
Arriving at Manchester’s O2 Apollo in the back of that Uber was a mix of excitement and nerves as either tonight would be one of the greatest gigs to be witnessed or a night filled with a lacklustre performance, overpriced drinks, boredom, regret and the taste of another man’s sweat in your mouth. Getting out of the Uber outside the prestigious venue, we joined the back of an empty queue in the pouring, drizzly rain, then I soon felt the nerves dissipate and the excitement... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – PISSED JEANS: HALF DIVORCED
On their sixth full-length album, Pissed Jeans are as unruly as ever. Bringing out a new batch of their noise-rock/hardcore punk brew, the band bring new insight into their world of bleak, sarcastic wit. Opener ‘Killing All the Wrong People’ barrages through its runtime of just over two minutes, bass writhing under the epidermis, guitars tense and urgent and vocalist Matt Korvette gravel voiced as he details a world in which the innocent die and monsters seem to survive when... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – GOUGE AWAY: DEEP SAGE
Deep Sage, the third full length effort by Florida noise rock band Gouge Away, wrestles with the torturous weight of everyday struggles with candidness, and in the process sees the band write some of their best material. Opener ‘Stuck in a Dream’ sets the tone of the record with a call-and-response riff and the barked repetition of the titular mantra. Balancing their punk-inflected hardcore roots with the gnarled noise rock leads. Thematically, the song sets up the album up... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW: BEDBUG – PACK YOUR BAGS, THE SUN IS GROWING
Album number four, ‘Pack Your Bags, The Sun Is Growing’ is a genuine down to earth album which is definitely worth your time., even if you may initially feel it’s out of your genre comfort zone, stick with it! Their sound keeps you in a meditative state of mind, just listen to “Halo on The Interstate” and you will get where I’m coming from. It’s the perfect way of relaxing your emo friend when the angst gets too much, as the energy of ‘Pack Your Bags... Read More
INTERVIEW: IMPERIAL WAX
Comprising of former members of The Fall, plus other noted musicians from Lancashire and Yorkshire, Imperial Wax create a heady post punk sound which brims with both angst and optimism, resulting in an astounding second album, ‘Transquiliser’. We caught up with Sam Curran (guitars/vocals) Pete Greenway (guitars), Kieron Melling (drums) and Shane Standrill (bass) to find out more: Your brilliant second album is called ‘Tranquiliser’, where did that title come... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – HIGH LLAMAS: HEY PANDA
Discussing the inspiration for ‘Hey Panda’, High Llama’s songwriter/arranger Sean O’Hagan stated, “We live in the finest non- judgemental musical times where the legacies of soul, jazz and lo fi indie have produced a hybrid of generous and stunning creativity. I want Hey Panda to be of this generation.” How refreshing it is to hear such an acknowledgement from a 64-year-old man. There is none of the tiresome shouting for ‘authentic’, heritage music that accompanies,... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – CHASTITY BELT: LIVE LAUGH LOVE
When you hear the words Live Laugh Love, you probably think of the insufferable self-affirmation posters, doormats, and other memorabilia that is designed to be as 100% overbearingly positive as possible. Chastity Belts version of this popular phrase is much more endearing. With the four-piece using it with a wink and a nod and exploring a sound that it feels like they have been building towards for years. The band consists of Julia Shapiro (vocals, guitarist), Lydia Lund (guitar,... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – RAGE: AFTERLIFELINES
The concept of a double album is something that most bands would never dare attempt. RAGE are not like most bands, though, and are celebrating their 40-year anniversary. To mark it unlike any other band, these German power and thrash metal veterans have unleashed a mammoth double album in a way only they could. Combining speed, power and thrash metal to take the listener on a journey through the four decades RAGE have blessed listeners for. For this double album, RAGE have made... Read More
ALBUM REVIEW – ADRIENNE LENKER: BRIGHT FUTURE
The first time I listened to this album, I wanted to be sat in the bath. I felt that I needed to be embraced by the warmth of the water, feeling each word that fell from Adrienne’s mouth wash over me, hoping to distract myself from the emotion that would arise. I left my face flushed and eyes blurry. I’m glad that I’m alive. Studying love in its entirety, Bright Future takes on a life of its own, chasing its tail for answers. Beginning with Real House, the past arrives... Read More
